Women’s Bundesliga (Allianz Frauen-Bundesliga) side SGS Essen have announced the appointment of Markus Högner as their new head coach. The 51 year old gaffer will succeed Daniel Kraus who will leave the club at the end of the 2018/19 season to join league rivals SC Freiburg.

Högner was in charge of SGS Essen from 2010 to 2016 and had a successful during his first stint with the club. He not only led the club to the German Women’s Cup final in 2014, but also managed to establish SGS Essen as one of Germany’s leading clubs in regard to youth development.

Högner left SGS Essen in 2016 to join the German Women’s national team coaching staff as an assistant coach, before joining the VfL Wolfburg Women’s team in the same capacity in 2018.

Philipp Symanzik, General Manager, SGS Essen said: “We are delighted to welcome Markus Högner, a proven expert on women’s football, as head coach. He knows SGS Essen and the club environment very well and his ideas on youth development fit perfectly together with the club. We will jointly raise the level of our dual focus, which means the combination of football and education, and enhance our Women’s and Girl’s football department.“

Markus Högner said: “First of all I would like to thank those responsible at SGS Essen on placing their trust on me to become a head coach in Essen once again. I look forward to return to the ‘Ardelhütte’ after three years. I’m really thankful for the experiences I’ve made in the last few years in my capacity as an assistant coach of the national team and Wolfsburg. Daniel Kraus and his coaching staff have done a tremendous job at SGS so far. I will take over a exciting and intact team from them.”